Chalk From the Moon: Book 5 Alpha
by WrittenAvarice
Summary: As a newly made Alpha, Michael must now face a fear he thought he'd never have to face. As an Alpha, his main priorities lie with the protection of his pack, and as luck would have it... safety doesn't follow well for them... The fifth installment... R
1. Born to Lead

He took us away from the party, rather quickly, down three flights of stairs and all the way to the other side of the mansion. Our suite was on the third floor, which was probably the only reason we _found_ my grandfather and his company in the first place. And as we walked, I asked question after question, hoping he could justify why he'd even ask them to agree to such a thing. This wasn't what they needed. Sure when I lost my temper with Emily, I went berserk! But I was sure that even my _father_ couldn't have stopped me at that point... father.

"Don't think badly of me, Michael. It was the two of them who asked if it was possible." He argued as we quickened the pace.

"I thought you said, _I _gave them an offer? Not, _They_, You!" I yelled as we sped up. Angela was almost a half a step faster, able to see more clearly where we were going than Marcus himself. She was so good with her gifts, but when she began to stray, I had to call her back.

"Well, I did give them an offer... after they asked." His tone was a little rawer than when he was pleading his case. "The last door on the right."

"That still doesn't give you the r-" I was cut off by the sight of them. They hadn't quite realized that we were there, despite my earlier yelling. But I had to admit, the hallway was pretty loud with the kids running around playing tag again.

Inside of the large room was a kitchen, which I thought odd. Fully stocked and already used, I figured noticing a used skillet and burnt egg hanging off the side of it. The white marble floors that held under the kitchen stopped dead against a russet colored carpet, thick and beautiful. The rosewood furniture that lined the room was an instant compliment to the carpet. I was definitely impressed.

And then there were my two friends. Though I didn't know if _they_ saw it the same way.

Nick was sitting against the couch, on the floor. His legs resting out and around Emily, his hands combing through her hair, kissing the top of her head after a few seconds. It was something that I though only Angela and I had.

The emotion I felt watching the two lovers not notice us, was instantly shoved aside by anger. My nose twitched at the smell. Their scent was thicker, fuller, their skin had darkened. "You're changed." I said aloud. My stupor was only for a second. And that second... just wasn't long enough.

Nick wrenched his head towards me in surprise. I'd have done the same. And his sudden movement woke Emily, who stood up, walked over, and punched me right in the face. The punch was a lot faster now, and a lot stronger. I was lucky my nose wasn't bleeding.

Marcus emitted a small chuckle, and then left us alone. "Kids." He said to himself.

"You crazy B-" The children were watching me out of the corner, mostly smiling rather than stalking.

"You deserved it." Nick called nonchalantly from the living room. I felt like an ass for my reaction, but as I leant against the wall opposite the door, I knew he was right.

"So are you going to apologize or what?" Angela asked, instantly taking Emily's side.

That was fair, in every since of the word that mean unfair. Guys don't hurt girls, yet when girls hurt guys... all is fair in love and war.

It didn't take me long to figure out that the whole thing between the two girls was long gone. Because as much as the two tried to hold a serious face, the sight of my bewildered expression and awkward hand-placement over my nose, sent them into stitches.

_Correction, Bitches._

******************************************************************************

I spent most of my time apologizing over, and over, and over too Emily and Nick. Nick seemed to understand why I reacted as such, and it was weird, but I kind of felt his emotion towards the whole subject. I figured that my newly acquired gift wasn't only towards Angela. Whose side I haven't left since we'd first spent the day together.

Nick was an odd character. He seemed to fall in place behind me ever since we met. Whether it be fads, interests, even now. I thought it coincidence, but after a while, I started to muse whether I was following_ him_. That much wouldn't be that hard to believe. As a matter of fact, he _was_ the first one to instigate our crazy adventures... It was too even too weigh.

Emily glared at me every now and again. Only to start smiling over the round, red mark on my face. "You are never going to get enough of this, are you?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I kind of want to do it again."

_God help me!_ This girl definitely had it out for me now.

"I doubt that's why you two did what you did." I said, serious now. The room's atmosphere seemed to stiffen and impact. "You two have no idea what lies ahead."

"You're wrong." Nick said. I could feel he had nothing to back himself up on. Emily too. This was totally spur of the moment. At least for a little while, when Emily decided to use the age excuse. "We know that you're kind... our kind live three times as long regular people." She said, in that matter-of-fact tone.

"And what of the hunger?" I asked. "Huh? How are you going to deal with that? You two..." I couldn't continue. Angela sat by my side on the couch where I was on the verge of a rant, and rubbed my chest. Looking up at me she told me to calm down. "They didn't know."

I rested my head in my hands and couldn't believe it when I started feeling like I was on the edge of a breakdown. "We change." I said as calmly as possible. My voice wavering. "We change, and we rip flesh, break bones, and it's the worse pain imaginable."

Emily tensed next to Nick. She knew it would hurt... but not that much.

"At least at first." I added quickly, trying to keep her from freaking out. I took a couple deep breaths, taking in their knew scent. It made me a little grateful that I now had a small pack forming around me... but it wasn't enough for me to make them understand what they'd done.

"After that first change... everything changes. The way you walk, talk, see things, even sex becomes something violent." I almost cringed when I said it. I knew I liked it, but wasn't sure that they'd be mentally prepared for what was coming. Sure with Angela, she could just latch onto my thoughts and memories and pass her trials with flying colors. It was nothing for an empath to get through the transformation, because she _had_ my experience. She knew everything she was doing, even when I didn't. I sort of envied her for that little knowledge.

"It's not as bad as you say." Nick said.

"How do you know?" I snapped.

"Listen to him, Nick." Angela backed. "He should be the one who would tell you how it is; he's been this way since he was seven." I'd almost forgotten that fact. And another great point chalked up to my lecture.

"That doesn't matter, Angela." Emily interjected. "We knew that things would be different. Some things more than others..." She said, obviously referring to the sex. Which now that I think about it, came as a surprise too my and Angela's interrogators. I remember that first night she moved in... It was the best night ever. Never the less, now they had some weird inkling of what our sex life was... but it did help me get our point across.

Angela gave me an angry look when she read through my thoughts. I'll hear about this later.

"Never the less!" I said. Something compelling me to my feet, and also seemed to take over my voice. "I'll be there when you two finally do change. So don't worry, I'll help out." My voice was strange, foreign. I'd never felt so out of control. It felt as though a resolve had been pushed on me by instinct... something was happening inside of me... and to be honest, I liked it.

"Michael?" Angela asked, again flipping through the pages of my mind.

I snapped out of my daze, and looked at her, confused. "What?"

"Nothing."

******************************************************************************

Marcus confronted me late that night. Having checked up on Nick and Emily, he'd heard how I'd acted in their presence. Totally and utterly different. And as he strolled up to me, he said five words I'll never forget.

He patted me on the shoulder and guided me down the hallway. I was just grabbing ice from the machine next to the laundry room. I was surprised to find one there. Marcus's mansion, wasn't really a mansion, so much as it was a five star hotel for monsters. Every room, I found, was lavished, and filled with furniture. The man seemed to be filled to the brim with money. It seemed to shake from his broad shoulders as he walked. And that wasn't an understatement. Though I figure when you live to be over a hundred and twenty years old... you find what works in the world. And he still didn't look a day over sixty.

He went on about meeting up later that night near the pavilion with a few others... like us. But all I heard were his greeting words. The words that echoed through my mind, even as he left me there, standing at the door too my suite, bowl full of ice in hand.

_Let's talk, Alpha to Alpha._


	2. Being a Child

I was careful not to think about it when I finally felt able to open the door to my suite. Thinking of everything _but_ what my Marcus had said... was going to be a problem. First off, I didn't know _what_ to think about it! Alpha?! It was a subject I heard nothing about from my father, Wilson, or Derrick. No one said anything, and so I just assumed them all equals. Though, their dedication to everything Dane had told them to do... it was just really confusing me.

Secondly... I wasn't much of a scatterbrain when put on the spot. Sure I shot from one thought to the other when I was alone, under normal circumstances. My only chance really seemed to be something I hated. I'd have to bring up something that either pissed Angela off, or me. And I wasn't about to make her okay day, into an angry night.

"That took longer than I'd expected." Angela called from the living room of our... palace. She had her feet kicked up on the coffee table, picking lent from between her toes. It seemed unfair! She always harped on me about gross tendencies. Scooping peanut butter from the jar with my finger, and wiping the crust from my eyes on the back of the couch at home were her biggest issues.

I shuffled through the doorway, bowl full of ice... and water. _I'd waited too long!_ I though without thinking.

"Why would you be waiting?" She asked innocently from the couch. Her blue gaze sizing me up while I strode forward, trying to hide my panic.

"I wanted to talk about..." I winced a little. "Kids."

She seemed doubtful. "You hate talking about having kids. What's so special about now?"

"I think I'm starting to like the idea." I lied. "And I'm not that worried about having them while we look young." I could feel the dirt being shoveled over me as I lay quietly in my grave. My lies were the shovel.

Her mood seemed to snap, like a sneeze. "Are you serious?" She asked, a little more exuberant than she was a moment ago.

I nodded. Lying always put a bad taste in my mouth. Probably my body saying, 'No. No. Bad Michael!' But regardless of my insides churning under my 'change of heart', I was trapped in this conversation until I got the chance to storm off and leave her feeling victorious... I just needed to know how the hell I was going to do it.

"When do you want to start?" She asked.

"Whoa!" I said, bringing my arms up after I set down bowl of ice cold water. "I said talk about the possibilities, not schedule an appointment."

She seemed down my just a fraction at my sudden reluctance.

"Look, I know you're going to run like a scared rabbit the minute this conversation doesn't go the way you want to, Michael. But the fact remains. I want to at least try..." Something broke her off her train of thought. And when it did, I started to wonder about one small detail. _Could_ we have children now?

"Oh, we can have children." She said, raising my glance towards her. She seemed quite sure. "I _am_ half witch. If there's one think I know how to mess around with, it's nature!" Her determination was something I never screwed around with. She could soak a white t-shirt in ketchup and pull it out blue if she wanted too! There was no doubt in my mind.

Thing was, I wasn't about to have sex in a room full of voodoo dolls or anything freaky like that. The image of it scared the living hell out of me... especially since we'd watched "The Puppet Master" earlier that week... I learned not to trust anything smaller than a lamp. Especially if it had arms, legs, and malicious intent! I pulled away from my train of thought and looked back at her, a little confused... but only a little.

"Then what was with the sudden silence?" I asked. A little fear rolled in the back of my mind, but she didn't react to it. Thankfully...

"I was just thinking about whether or not we _could_ deal with having a child?"

... _What_? _What the hell is that supposed to mean?_

"Meaning, emotionally. Michael, there's so much to think about. Names-"

"Names? Plural?" I asked, cutting her off.

"I want twins." She was acting like this was going to come from a catalog. But I knew better. It would come from me, following behind her, pretending she was glass and that the tiniest thing could shatter her. All the while, she goes on a rampage of emotions, tears down the house around us (like I once did) and then finally has the little Cretan that's been causing all my distress from the beginning. I think I'd have a heart attack if there were two of them to add to the mix.

"Don't call them Cretins!" She yelled. As if they were in the room.

"Sorry, but the whole thing scares me. What if one of us winds up with that disease where you want attention more than the baby..." It was on the tip of my tongue. "It happens a lot."

"Post Par-tom Depression?" She asked. Her voice was bored and low.

I snapped my finger. "Yes." My anxiety over the subject was definitely starting to jumble up my thoughts. This might actually work.

"That's not going to happen, because I do not crave attention like most women my age." Instantly killing my chance to feign fear. This wasn't as easy as I wished it would be. "Besides, I'd already been talking to people about that stuff. They said it doesn't happen to our kind. Just another perk to being perfect, I suppose." She shrugged.

Well, hell.

"You already... talked to people?" I asked. She hadn't ever wondered about it when we were together... she must have been doing the same thing I was. "What else have you been asking other people about?" I was genuinely curious.

"Kid stuff. Stuff you never want to talk about..." A light seemed to flicker in her head, and she glared at me. If those eyes shot daggers I'd look like Swiss cheese. "_Michael?_" she asked, like grinding nails on a chalkboard, it was slow and painful.

"What?" I asked, still standing. I should have been a little more convincing in my posture. My face dripped concealment.

"You're purposely hiding your thoughts." She accused. She crossed her arms, bit her top lip, and glared at me some more. I twitched a little. This wasn't my happy place, this wasn't my happy place!

"N-" I didn't dare deny that accusation of hers. I knew the wrath of God was about to be let loose as soon as I tried to lie my way out of a lie. And so, I gave up. My shoulders slumped, and my posture sagged. I dragged my feet to the couch and flopped down on it. "Marcus said I was an Alpha." I said, shamefully.

"You're sleeping alone tonight." I raised my head from the back of the couch, surprised by her sudden decision. "Why?" I complained, as if I'd done no wrong.

"Firstly, you flat out lied to me." She was right, and I did kind of deserve that. "Secondly, you took my favorite subject, and flaunted it around my face, _just_ because you didn't know how to react to what Marcus said?"

I leant back against the couch, now angry. Well, I sort of got what I wanted. Now all I had to do was wait in silence for a few minutes before meeting up with Marcus and the others down by the pavilion.

"Michael?" She asked softly. I knew I upset her by my little ruse. But I had no idea it meant that much too her.

"Yeah, love." I said, reaching over and grabbing her hand up with my own.

"I really want to have a baby."

Something warm washed against the inside of my chest. The way ocean water rolls onto a beach. _I want to give in, but I don't want to turn out being a bad father._ I thought. It was open and it almost hurt to think, let alone say. "I don't think I'd have it in me to be Marcus, or how my father was before we found each other again. It's just too hard." I said. Sure that she'd heard my previous thought.

She squeezed my hand and released it too sit up. Grabbing one of two small hand towels from the coffee table, she soaked it in the cool water. "You know what I think?" She said as she squeezed the excess water from the rag, folded it, and placed it on my searing forehead.

"What?" I asked, blinded by my cool rag.

"I think you'd be a great father." She said. I could hear the splashing of rung out water hitting the water in the bowl.

"Whys that?" I asked.

She grabbed my hand, pulled it too her lips, and kissed it. "Because I will kick the crap out of you until you get it right." I could feel her smile radiating off of it, and I chuckled. _Yeah, that'll do it!_


	3. Meeting

Sighing out over the horizon, I thought about what Marcus had told me. _Alpha to Alpha._ I didn't like the sound of being in charge, especially since one of my new pack members was recently pinned to a wall as I strangled her half-to-death. It was a strong feeling of regret that passed through me as I leant out over the balcony railing. Cigarette in one hand, trying my best to keep the windblown rain from putting it out, I thought it best not to linger on my guilt. And simple because of the stir-crazy emotions that seemed to wad around my heart at the subject, a clumping burden.

_Why? Why had Seymour come to seek me out? Why'd he have to kill my father? Why wasn't he dead?_ A million questions lined my lips, but none could be answered. At least, that's what I thought. Emily was sure pissed at me for what I did... twice. And maybe it was the lazy pacifist in me talking, but I'd have forgiven me by now. Hell, I spent two days in a damp, rank prison cell because of it.

I gripped the railing to shut out my thoughts.

Taking a drag of my cigarette, I scouted the area around the pavilion for my Grandfather. No one showed.

Memories of the past started to come in spasms, just like the rain around the mansion. The musician and all his crazy future plans for me... What would they amount too? I've never thrown a single knife in my defense. I've never felt any sorrow towards having chosen to stay with Angela. And with the death of my father... It all seemed to become numb, and corroded. I guess he, like my mother, would become just another memory. A better memory perhaps... but. _God, it was all my fault!_

I pressed hard against my eyes with my hands, hoping it'd shut the memories down. But relief never came. Instead, I envisioned the figures of both my mother and father, disfigured and without life, over and over. Maddening wasn't enough for this, but I had to maintain. _Do NOT lose it here!_ I screamed at myself.

_But, you still couldn't save them..._

Glad that Angela had gone to sleep before I came out her, I slumped against the outer wall of the balcony, my legs sliding out before me, catching the rain in small puddles between the wrinkles of my denim jeans. My body felt hollow.

_You can't even save yourself, let alone lead more lives away from the slaughter..._

Taking a large drag on my cigarette, I propped my reddening eyes open and let my head fall back against the rugged concrete walls. _Why this now?_ I asked. The recesses of my mind have never been as open as they'd been before I came here. Why this?

_You need to learn to take a life..._

The words of my nightmare had come back to haunt me, and I was starting to trust it. How could I do anything to keep the people I loved safe... if I couldn't take a life? Maybe my grandfather had too much faith in my good nature. Maybe under the surface, I could be a monster, like them. I'd love nothing more than to end the cycle my life seemed to have adopted ever since my change. Peace. Something new. Pain. It was almost habitual to find trouble, and to be haunted by the knowledge of my own enemies. Maybe if I could kill someone, like I used to dream about during school... maybe I could keep my family safe.

"Michael?"

I felt so hollowed out by my thoughts I'd totally forgotten why I was outside. And as Marcus called up to me again, I remembered that I was smoking... and that the cigarette was now burning me between my fingers.

A small yelp sounded between clenched teeth as I tossed the smoke into the rain battered world. And in seconds I was on my feet, and in just another, I was sailing to the ground.

My landing was perfect, something I had a lot of time to practice during my childhood. Sneaking on the room and trying to make jumps to the localized trees that surrounded my father's house..._ I miss my dad._

"Well, that's one way to get downstairs in a hurry, I suppose." He said, brandishing a rather large umbrella. He struck me as someone who didn't beat around the bush when they wanted something. It was either all, or nothing to him. Another trait that reminded me of my father.

"I didn't want to keep you waiting."

He seemed to grimace slightly as he looked me in the eyes. And forgetting that I'd almost started crying seconds before he called me down, I didn't think to stray my sight.

"Missing your father?" He asked softly. I could tell that even though he and my father were never on the same terms, that this hit him just as hard. He was just better at hiding it in public, and at parties... Out of sight, out of mind, I suppose.

"Yeah." I nodded, motioning for the pavilion. I really didn't want to talk out in the rain, and I was grateful to now have the pavilion roof too catch the rain, rather than my (Noting Marcus's clothes) meager rags.

He always wore a suit, where as I haven't worn one since I met Wilson for the first time. I missed my time with Claire. Even the social awkward moments when I confused Wilson with my father, before I knew the truth between the two of us. I missed cooking every morning for my surrogate mother, and even her picking on the way I eat. And most of all... I missed having a parent.

I sniffed back the phlegm of my sadness and tried to get on with this little meeting of ours.

"Look. I know having given your friends the chance to change was pretty rash. But I had no idea that you had any say so."

I was confused by what he said. Suddenly being an alpha meant I had control over people's lives, werewolf or not?! "No, it's nothing like that. Emily and Nick are adults, kind of." I said, recalling how very little I knew of both of them lately. "I just wish you would have warned them about everything that came with it."

Even with my stern tone, I didn't feel it. My mind was elsewhere. On the back yard porch, across from a blazing fire, listening to my father tell embarrassing stories of my childhood. My mind was in paradise... Something I feared that I'd never have again...

"Do you even grasp the idea of what has been given too you?!" He asked turning me with his hands. His tone had taken something meaningful and turned it into a power struggle. "People would kill to have what you have!"

"Why?" I asked. My tone sad, and curious. "I can barely keep the people around me from dying... and I can't even avenge them!" I'd let it all gush from my mouth like I'd coughed up my stomach. It was sickening to think of giving me lives to reign over, and especially so to think anyone _should_ listen to what I had to say. They died, and they got hurt! Everyone. Nick, Emily, I'd even stolen Angela away from her mother, spiraling her into some sort of depression that even Emily thought of as cruel!

I breathed and tried to calm myself down.

"I'm sorry. But this whole Alpha thing can't happen under someone like me."

He seemed to understand one thing... that I wasn't talking about being alpha. He could sense something else burning underneath the coals of my words. And it felt like an inferno.

"You shouldn't have to avenge them," He said, "You should learn from them. Everything they've ever taught you... cherish that. Because they're forgotten, otherwise."

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize. It's quite understandable." He said right after me, patting me on the back.

I walked over to the center bench of this fifty-foot pavilion, and sat on the top. I brought my knees up close and buried my head in my hands, and I let loose. It wasn't my deal to cry in public, my pain, my demons, were my fight, no one else's. But something about this man, who (forsaking his expensive suit) sat beside me on the stained table top, reminded me of every good thing about my dad.

My chest beat along with my heart as I found myself crying in my hands. Yet, I couldn't make a sound. Not a whimper, not a sniffle... nothing.

"Look, Michael..."

"No, don't worry about it." I said, pulling myself together and wiping away the tears.

He, just like my father, wasn't too good at comforting people, and it wasn't hard to read his emotions about the subject either. That sense that words just aren't enough, hung around him like his brown tailored suit. It wasn't his fault.

"I just really need to know how to go about this." I said, reaching into my pocket, pulling out my Camels. "I mean dealing with newborns like Nick and Emily. Cause with Angela being what she was before her change, all she had to do was read my thoughts to know how to go about these things-"

"What do you mean?" He asked, a little concerned about what I said. "How could she read thoughts?"

"She's a witch."


	4. PreWar

I had no idea how displeased he'd be about the subject of Angela's origin.

"You changed a _witch?!_" He yelled, standing too his feet. His demeanor had decayed from it mildly comforting self into almost rage. "Do you have any _idea_ what ramifications that could have had?!"

I raised my arms in defense. His anger was portraying itself to me in the most infectious way. To the point where I was getting angry at his sudden rage.

"There aren't any ramifications to Angela!" I said, pressing a new cigarette to my lips and lighting the end. "Besides, she's my mate. And to me, family comes first."

He shook his head. "You're just like Daniel was."

I snatched the smoke from my mouth and gripped it between my fingers hard enough to snap bone. Luckily the soft filter held fast. "DON'T..." I regrouped before I risked this becoming a fight. "Please. Don't." I said calmly. My sadness started to crawl back at the sound of my father's name. And I didn't want to break down again, not in front of him.

"But, Michael. You have no idea! Nature cannot be altered _too _much. It's a delicate variable, and if you twist it too much... you have no idea what could come out of it." He said, his hands were up in his hair by the time he finished, his eyes told me that he was elsewhere now, in a far off, distant, and horrible memory.

"Like what?" I asked, thinking of Emily. She'd been changed right under his wing. And where as he obviously didn't know it... He may have just endangered my pack.

Marcus looked me in the eyes. That thin round cobalt that surrounded his irises was throbbing at the thought that mingled in his head. And when I finally decided to listen... I heard it.

_The Saint Dane Plague._

******************************************************************************

We both were sprinting through the corridors of the massive mansion. I listened to his inner directions to give myself an edge to work with if his thoughts about Emily turned sour. I was truly afraid of what may happen if something like the plague would arise from her, and if she needed my protection... could I succeed.

"Jasper!" Marcus yelled down the well lit hallway. There, near the ice machine to the first floor towards Nick and Emily's room, was a tall man. His auburn hair flung out wildly as he turned to the urgent voice that came barreling toward him. "The girl is a witch!" Marcus yelled, stopping near Jasper only to grab him along.

I was the first too the door, to which I slipped in unwelcomed and shut the door behind me in instinct. At the time, it felt like little demons were nipping at my heels to get there first. I slid the top lock on and then bolted the door shut.

Turning to the (now) disturbed couple on the couch, "Emily. How do you feel?!" I yelled, running over to her. I touched her forehead while the shock still played empty on her face. It was almost burning to the point where I couldn't feel it anymore.

"What's going on?" Nick yelled, and then jumped as banging sounded against the door. Yelling in-sewed for me to open the door. To stop thinking rashly and let them in to help.

I could practically read their minds from the other side of the door that held them. And to my thick distaste, they were going to have her quarantined... then killed.

"Nick!" I said in a hurry. "Don't let them in. If worse comes to worse, escape behind me, and go get Angela." I stood prepping myself for the hell I'd have to deal with once I started. There were definitely going to be ramifications for _this!_

Emily couldn't look more afraid, and it seemed to finally spark inside of her, just like it had me. "I feel dizzy..." Her voice was suddenly weak.

"She's going to be fine!" I lied as I grabbed her up from the couch. Her skin burned my arms and I tried to keep her skin from touching mine. "Just do as I say, Nick."

And with that, I was bounding through a metal window frame and dashing through the thickening rain. Shouts of anger could be heard from behind me as I sprinted across the wet fields with a dying girl in my hands.

The cold rain and harsh wind kept her fever down, just below excruciating for me, and I thought it a godsend. But I wasn't' going fast enough. My every thought was willing a change, but my body wasn't responding... my mind wouldn't let it. _If I change now, I could seriously hurt her._ I told myself over and over as we entered the woods. Trees passed like bullets as I sprinted harder and harder. My calves felt iron plates grinding away at my bones as each footstep became more and more awkward. I tried my best not to fall, and in doing so, relinquished a lot of speed and a lot of comfort, but it would be better than dropping my friend in the mud.

Her burning skin was now searing. And I had no idea how this was going to affect someone who hadn't even had her first change yet! There were many unpredictability's that I could not foresee, but my instincts... my Alpha instincts new this was for the best.

The slick grass gave way under me as my foot melted into the mud, and I lost a shoe, and after a few more steps... I lost the other. My traction was much better now, and before I realized what was happening, my legs became the legs of my hunter form. Thick, and easily mistaken for the legs of a burnt man, they changed. My calves felt like they'd been given new life, and my clawed feet, had ten times the traction I'd once had. There was no getting around the fact that I loved this ability to adapt my body!

I sped. The bullets that were once trees, were now blurring walls of brown and green. The forest became a maze to my unchanged eyes, and its path, couldn't be clearer. Like running down a lit hallway, it had suddenly become impossible for me to worry about little things like pursuers.

******************************************************************************

We luckily came across a Wildlife Reserve shack, which at the time, was perfect. I had no idea how long I'd been running. My legs became numb with repetition thirty minutes ago, and my singed arms were like forgotten Charlie-horses.

I bused the door right off its hinges without a second thought. The shack had no windows, and one exit. _Good. If this does turn out bad, at least I can keep her safe_. I thought. My fear of having to face the patrons of Marcus's mansion washed away from me on the way over to this little shelter. If I had to resort to using the plague to keep them away, then I would. And as I thought this, I was glad that Tony recovered my attack. This brought up many possibilities about my type of the plague known as Saint Dane. _Maybe, if I'm lucky, it just paralyzes..._

The sounds of wolves howling in the night surprised me. I thought I'd been much quicker than that.

I set Emily down on one of the cots in the dingy shack and unbuttoned her shirt and pants so she could breath. Guilt tore through me, but I wasn't about to leave her in this stagnant shack to burn alive under her covered skin. I pulled off her denim jeans, which were much like mine, and I mused at how Wilson must've felt when he had to keep me from overheating.

I tried to remember everything that I wanted while I was incapacitated, and then it hit me. She's going to need water... lots and lots of water.

Looking around, I saw nothing that could help me... and so in my rash thinking as the howling drew nearer and nearer, I punched my fist into the concrete wall above the cot she lay on. Thankfully it wasn't as hard as I'd imagined, and it was fairly easy to dig a small trench with my now changed hands, so that water could drain through from the rain, and keep her cool. In my haste I'd forgotten to shut the door when I entered, and when I turned threateningly towards my stalker... I sighed a sigh of relief.

"Angela! Thank God!" I said, peering at the white wolf. Those sandy splotches that hung around her stomach seemed to shudder with her as she waltzed into the shack. She peered at the half-naked Emily on the cot and stared back at me, an almost dazed look sagged around her muzzle.I could hear her thoughts. _Really Michael?_

"You know it's not like that... Could you just change back already!?" I yelled, forgetting the hell that was now barreling towards us as I argued with her. "I need you and... Where's Nick?" I asked. She pointed her muzzle at the door and sure enough he stumbled in, out of breath and grief-stricken.

"What's going on!?" He yelled between his gasping.

"They're going to try and kill Emily because of the disease that's plaguing her system right now. And I need you and Angela to keep her cool while I keep them out." I said quickly. I turned back towards Angela who'd already changed back, and was now shivering naked near Emily.

I ripped of my shirt in a hurry before the others finally caught up to us and threw it too her. "Put this on. Nick, Stop Drooling and Focus!" I yelled at him. Taking off my pants as I glared at him, I realized through his thoughts, that he'd never seen a naked woman before.

I tossed my pants to Angela who caught them, while glaring at Nick as well, started fitting herself into my large shirt. "You better learn a little self-control, Nick." She said, forcing herself into a small laughing fit. "Some night, huh?" She asked no one in particular.

"Yeah, it's a fuckin' dream." I said, motioning for Nick too check on Emily as I took off my soaked underwear. I changed on the spot and sent Angela specific instructions and memories I had on keeping the plague at bay... and then I sighed. _Time to fight._


	5. Inquisition

I stood tall outside the modified shack, and I waited. Deep in the woods I counted over twenty pairs of eyes, and not one of them was without that blue glow. They've all killed, I could see that much... a small disadvantage to me, I thought, but with the plague...

Turning on the closed door, I snapped off the handle, and tossed it on the roof. This wasn't going to become their fight. _They're too young and I'm not risking my family for this!_

I released my claws and they hung out further than they ever had before. I slammed my hands against the roof of the entrance and released my venom over the wet concrete. It stuck. And not only that, but the rain water that slid down it and fell through the entrance was now tainted and I knew its effects all too well. As long as it kept raining... they were safe. Even if I died tonight.

A rather large grey wolf was the first too enter the clearing. By his thoughts and the way everyone lined up behind him, I could only guess him too be Marcus. He changed instantly as he approached me. And for someone as old as my grandfather, he seemed to be at the peak of his physical abilities. His chest was massive his stomach flaunted a row of muscle that lined his stomach. I was pretty sure he could have taken any one of the wolves at his side as he was.

"Michael, this doesn't have to be like this."

"You dare to try and kill one of _my_ pack?! And think not of the consequences?!" I yelled, surprised by my ability to talk in my current form. My arm shot out instinctively and scraped against the concrete walls that bore what I could only see, as my children.

I found that in this form, I became more than just a protector. A strong sense of primal duty had risen from my throat and engulfed me with my own words. It felt like I was being swallowed whole, only to become something much more than what I'd _EVER_ been. This... was power.

Blue poison dripped from my thick, threatening claws. It sunk down across the white concrete and I knew that the others saw this. They've never seen anything like me, and I knew this too be a great advantage. Their eyes, their minds screamed for some sort of understanding about what they were up against, and I could hear the fear in their hearts. Some tried to shove it down by saying that I was outnumbered... but couldn't seem to keep it from rising back up from their throats.

"Dammit Michael! You're being just as rash as your Father!"

"A true Alpha that knew his family better than any other man!" I yelled back. "And I protect my family. Even if it means killing every living thing that tries to get to them." I said, my bright blue eyes flew across the row of wolves that started to spread out around me. I knew they were all itching to see how much of a threat I was... just not at their own expense.

"Don't Move!" Marcus yelled at his pack. I knew he was having trouble controlling them. When there were so many, control was stretched thin. "We don't have to do this." He pleaded.

Again I scraped the same wall. More blue bled from the crevices of the unkempt shack.

"We don't, but I will not let my family fall because of empty words. I _can_ hear your thoughts Marcus, and one would do well to show some control." A sneer rose from my muzzle, and they all seemed to be repelled by it... all except one.

"Diego, NO!" Marcus yelled. But the large russet wolf to his right had launched my way, fangs bared, eyes bleeding a desperate prayer for success. He had none.

I stopped him dead. My left hand gripped around his furry neck, and my claws sank deep into his skin. The poison had begun to spread, and soon all of his kicking and snapping became weak and then... he didn't move at all.

"I will try my best not to kill anyone. My plague only incapacitates, but that doesn't keep me from ripping your throats out afterwards." I growled at the large pack. Many of them were inching forward in spasms, fighting to control themselves.

Taking my time not to injure the wolf any further, I set him by the left wall of the shack. And apparently, that kindness didn't go unnoticed.

"I knew you were a good man, Michael. But I cannot have that plague resurfacing and ending the lives of my pack."

"Then we'll leave. According to your thoughts, the house should be finished by now." I said, sobering from the power coursing through my veins. I honestly didn't want to hurt anyone, and if this did get out of control, I'd be relying too much on my plague to even their fury out as I dispatched them.

"Deal." He said. His solemn resolve had startled me. "Drake, go get their things from rooms 341 and 118." He barked, not bothering to look away from me.

A dark red wolf nodded from his far left and darted off into the darkness. His paws smacked against the muddy floor of the forest for a good thirty seconds before I couldn't hear it anymore.

"Everyone else, go home. It's been a long night."

They seemed to growl and whine in protest, but when he held up his hand, they all became quiet. "My grandson is a man of honor. He isn't going to harm a single hair on my head."

I thought it flattering that he'd thought so highly of me... especially considering the fact that I wanted to punch him right in the face. Just thinking about what he had in mind for Emily made my skin crawl. Fury inched up my lungs and into my throat as they turned their backs on me, yet I found it quite easy to just choke the feeling back down.

"And tell Drake to use the interstate to bring their stuff. Call Derryl and get him to come pick them up. I'm sure my grandson doesn't trust us enough for that." He said at the few stragglers that hung behind him.

And then, they were off. Crisis Averted.

******************************************************************************

"I don't suppose you have an extra pair of pants or anything inside, do ya?" He asked informally. We'd been waiting outside for about ten minutes before either of us even moved. I myself, was stuck in my head, wondering about what he'd said about Derryl. _Could he mean the Musician? What would he be doing in Canada?_

I stayed in my hostile form while we waited, not flinching at all when the rain kicked up or died down. Though, my right arm was surely feeling it. That constant buzzing that riddled my bones kept me rigid and awake.

Inside the shack, I could hear the other two's muffled voices seeping through the poorly fitted door. I smirked a little after he'd asked me that question that I just waved off. I was thinking of the damage I did to the shack... I'd impressed myself a little.

"I guess that's a no." He said, dropping down into the mud. He crossed his legs to hide himself, which was perfectly fine with me, when he continued. "Every time that damned musician drops by, I lose another family member." He said, stuck in his own head.

I chose to ignore it... knowing this was a quick route to talking about my father. Never again would I instigate another conversation about him with this man. They seemed too loath each other on a moral level... even though their connection to each other kept them from falling completely apart. A sudden sense of melancholy seemed too engulf him as he sat and daydreamed.

When the truck finally arrived, my jaw snapped a little with excitement. Not wasting any time, I kicked the door open behind me and stared at my jumpy friend who'd armed himself with a rather large axe. "Come help me, would you?" I asked, catching him off guard with my gruff voice.

"Sure."

He gave the axe to Angela, who slid it under the cot where Emily slept. She looked stabilized at the moment, and I prayed that she would stay that way. Angela seemed to hear my thoughts and gave me a thumbs up, which I scoffed at in my relief.

I let myself out of Nick's path as he stepped out of the clearing, instantly confused as to why my grandfather was sitting naked in the mud and there was, what looked like, a dead wolf lying against the wall of the shack. "He's fine." I said. My voice sounded like I had lung cancer. "Just unload the truck and put everything in the shack, we're waiting for a ride."

He just nodded and wearily stepped out into the open.

"I've got your back, Nick. Don't worry about anything."

I've never seen him work so fast in his life, and his thoughts during the three trips he made to unload the few bags they'd brought with them, were a little hilarious. _Please, God. Hurry. Hurry. Hurry. Fucking bags. Fucking rain!_

And as soon as he was back inside, I gripped the hole where the doorknob had been, and I ripped it outward, jamming it in place. Keeping an eye on my, now standing Grandfather, I bent over and grabbed his fallen comrade. "Sorry, Diego." I whispered to him as I hoisted him into the back of the truck.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye." Marcus said, wiping the mud from his sides as he strode to the front seat of the large F-150.

"Let it be, what it is." I said coldly. "If it's meant to be, then I'm sure we'll be able to laugh about this later."

He laughed a little. "I hope you're right. Losing someone like you... I'm too old for that." He hung there for a moment, his eyes sizing me up. His thoughts became loud and clear as he moved to get inside. _You'll be a strong Alpha, Michael. And I hope it brings you a fortune in peace._

******************************************************************************

After they left, I wrenched the door open and joined my frantic pack. Emily had miraculously become conscious after Angela catered to her every thought. I thought it brilliant that she'd thought to do so in such extreme conditions. And after I changed back, and got dressed, I was glad to tell her.

"It helps when some people aren't jumping at ever noise." She said, giving Nick a sharp look. "I swear, you were making me a nervous wreck!"

I laughed a little. "Well, you do space out every now and again." I pointed out, watching that glare stride over to my eyes.

"Michael, I will not hesitate..." She was cut off by a small cough from Emily. And I was glad, because whatever she was going to say, involved that large axe that lie underneath the cot she leant on.

"_Water..._" Emily whispered.

Without missing a beat, Angela grabbed one of the many bowls filled with rain water that lined Emily's left side. She'd been collecting what she could of the rain water as it seeped through the large gash I'd made in the wall.

I felt my pockets, then realized that Angela was wearing the ones I came in. "Hey, bae, could you toss me the cigarettes out of my pockets?"

"Busy." She said, holding one of the full bowls to Emily's propped up head. She sipped it gratefully. And as I bent down to dig them out of Angela's pockets, making her squirm and laugh, Emily caught my eyes.

In them was a thankful glance that I didn't deserve. "Emily..." I said, fishing out the smokes, and standing, I'd totally forgotten they were in my hand. "Emily, you don't have to say anything." I was sad that she wanted to thank me. A sorrow that _was _deserved because of how I'd treated her.

But still, in her condition, she raised her weak hand. "Truce."

I took it, and kissed her hand in thanks, "Truce."

******************************************************************************

"So what does it feel like... you know, when you're changed like... _That?_" Nick asked, grabbing the lit cigarette from my outstretched hand. "Thanks."

"It's like," I put my smoke up to my mouth and lit it. "It's like knowing that all that could come from you, is death."

He seemed disappointed by how I described it.

"It's something you and Emily, and especially Angela, won't have to think about. And I guess that makes me glad." I said, half-thinking to myself.

I knew he was going to change the subject. Something about the power of what I could do... appealed to him. And it was something he was going to learn fast... isn't worth it. "I'm not going to change you three into what I am. There's just too much pain."

"That's not it." He said, forsaking his new argument to reason with me. "It's about tonight... I couldn't protect anyone." His tone died down. That sorrow that I hadn't felt but a few hours ago... was now being thrown into my face by fate. This was not a sorrow that the heart held lightly. This kind of pain, was emasculating and embarrassing. It left us both feeling useless and fearful. And tonight, it ends.

"You just haven't changed yet. Wait until you feel _that_ experience... you'll be content. I promise you."


	6. Company

The rain never let up that night. Blistering cold bullets showered me for the better part of two hours as I sat in the back of the Musicians truck as we barreled down the Canadian Countryside. Sure I could have stayed inside with the others, but I had priorities that needed to be met. And as I rested my back against the rough bed of the truck with my friend in my lap, I knew I wouldn't be happy in there. I couldn't leave her too this cold, unforgiving climate, even if it was good for her overheated body. Instead, I stroked her hair, and prayed for her to be alright.

Bump after bump, mile after mile, we both lay tired and drained from the night's trials. And where as our troubles weren't even in the same ball park, we still felt the drag of it all, and we were both fighting to maintain. _How could you agree to this Emily?_ I asked myself. Over and over the question arose, but time and time again I shot it down. This is what they wanted. Both of them. And hopefully... it wouldn't tear them apart.

I caught myself laughing after a while, thinking and talking to myself to stay awake. I thought of the effects these two were going to have on me when they finally did change. Their appetites, their impatience... both of them were a handful now! "Oh, God." I whispered through a cracking smile. I was glad the rain hid my tears. Somewhere along the way I'd acquired these friends and somehow, by some form of fate, they still liked me. They loved me, as a matter of fact. And it baffled me.

_What is so special about me?_ I asked, making the obvious known and laughing at its simplistic nature. _Because of what I am? Maybe?_ Scoffing, I shifted my weight. She was starting to burn on my right thigh, and I wasn't sure how fast it would hit me. Especially with my slightly numbed legs.

"You two are something else, Emily." I said, speaking to her unconsciousness. "I don't know what I'd do without you. Hell, I'd probably just like my father. Sitting alone at home, constantly cleaning to fend off my demons..."

I brushed a few stray tears from under my reddening eyes.

"Or maybe I'd have ended up like Wilson. Again, alone. Surviving by keeping the ones around him in check. Always worrying, always docile... No. That's not me at all." My words were but a whisper. "Maybe I'd have ended up like Derrick, or even Claire. Still young, but distant. Either drinking myself away or putting a great distance between me and those who've raised me. The both of them were definitely one in the same. Rather..."

Derryl, hydro-planed slightly as we turned a small bend. Nothing extreme, but I knew the other two in the cabin were staring back out at us. In this rain and fierce wind, I couldn't tell what they were thinking. Like words, thoughts needed to be heard... I couldn't even hear my own words... but still... I spoke.

"So what about you, Emily?" I brushed her wet, blonde hair away from her face and peered down at her unnaturally tan skin. "Why did you come _here_? Why not somewhere normal?" I didn't expect an answer. I'd have liked one, but I was just prying. "I'm sorry, about your dad. Your real dad."

I surprised myself.

"He was just scared when we first met. And I'm sorry he abandoned you... just as my mother did me." Guilt poured in at my words... but for me, it was a better memory. And one that I will stick too until I die.

She shifted and pushed herself up against my chest. "It's cold out here." She said in her sleep. I hadn't even realized that she was no longer hot.

In a panicked rush I beat my fist against the back window. My numb hand felt like glass had been shattered under my skin, and it was spreading. As I signaled for Derryl to pull over, I caught a glimpse of hope in Nick's red eyes. He hadn't slept a wink all night. Even after we waited hours for Derryl to get here, he stayed up. Adrenaline wasn't the issue either. Adrenaline fades, fear and worry don't. I was surprised that this didn't catch my mind sooner. He'd been a nervous wreck on the inside, and I had so many thoughts rushing inside my head about Marcus, and what he might do, Emily and her condition, and even the whereabouts of Derrick and Wilson, too even notice.

_Sorry, Nick._

He practically smashed into the brakes when Nick turned to him. He mumbled something and then we were skidding to a sudden halt. And without the rushing wind disturbing my sense of smell anymore, I was shocked to find how incredibly dead this part of Canada smelt.

As I hopped out of the bed of the truck and lifted the half-conscious Emily in my arms, I noticed no one else came out too help. _Fine, be scared of the rain_! I thought.

I tore open the passenger door and no one noticed. They were all looking forward. And after I slid Emily in their laps, I took a small look out the windshield to see what they were seeing. And all I saw was the black path ahead, and a very beautiful woman.

"_Michael,_" Derryl whispered. "_Get in the truck_." I ignored him. Brimstone and sulfur hit my senses, and I almost wanted too puke. But after facing almost thirty werewolves after an entire, sleep deprived day, I wasn't inclined to the fear that he was trying to persuade onto me. And as I backed out of the doorway, I could hear him whispering angrily for me to get my _ass_ back in the truck.

Two things always bothered me about horror films. If I may be so bold to drag this a little. In a werewolf movie, when someone gets into a car or a truck, they never get away. Something, ALWAYS, happens to them. So, if this woman, or whatever she was, really was something for even me to fear... what was stopping her from tearing that truck apart to get to whatever she wanted? This is what people would call an impasse. We can't go forward, and we should be afraid. But for some reason, I wasn't. Mainly because of this woman's features. Her curly blonde hair, bright, yet fair skin, those invigorating brown eyes... they made me think of my mother.

"Good evening Ma'am!" I shouted over the rain. She hadn't been looking at me; so much as she was looking into the cabin at Derryl. "Can we help you with something?" Remember that dead smell... I found that it was coming off of her alone.

"Dah." She said simply. A thick, Russian accent poured from her lips. "Vould you like to enlighten me on why my dear Musician is herding around a pack of werewolves such as yourself?" She asked. Still smiling.

She reminded me of the unease I first felt when I met my father. "He's just helping us out. He's been a long time friend of my family--"

"Shut it!" She said loudly. Not really yelling, but not speaking lightly either. "I don't care if you're helping him with his fucking taxes! I want your diseased blood away from my Musician!" She yelled, finally looking towards me. I could see the moon reflecting perfectly in her eyes. It was such that I could only think of one word to describe it. Beautiful.

Snapping myself out of the small trance I'd found myself in, I frowned. "But miss, a member of my pack is injured in there. We need to get her out of the rain as quick as possible!" I found myself yelling.

"Bring her too Marcus. I'm sure that old prude would be happy to deal with her for you."

"I can't bring her back to my grandfather, or they'll kill her!" I yelled. My fists balled as her expression changed from anger to wonderment and delight.

She glided across to me in less than a second; I didn't even hear her footsteps.

"Angela!" Derryl yelled out the driver's side window. _Angela?_

"Dah, Darling?" Her words were liquid velvet. A slender arm raised itself to my shoulder and I stood stock still under it.

"Don't hurt him." He said. "He's the one I've been telling you about."

Her eyes widened, and turned to gaze down into my own. I was shocked to finally realize how tall she was. Her gaping mouth spoke of shock and awe without saying a word as she stared into my eyes. "The more reason for me to learn more about him." She said, speaking as if I wasn't even there.

"Angela! He's an Alpha, for Christ's sake!" He yelled. "So let him go, or we'll have an entire army of them at our doorstep by sun up! And I can't protect you from that." His voice was rigid. This whole time I thought he was scared for me... not even close. It was because of my position and hers that he was scared. And that's when it dawned on me. _He loves her!_

"Too bad for me then." She said pouting. "I love their blood."

I made my escape quickly as Derryl ran too her, and as I did so, she seemed to distort. Her form shook so hard that it looked as if my eyes were going blurry. She fought not to chase me. I could hear her insides screaming to sink those sharp canines into my neck. I knew what she was, just as she knew what I was. She smelt like death, and to her, I smelled like a wet dog... Funny how that works.

******************************************************************************

As luck would have it, there was no room for me in the cabin. With Derryl driving, and Angela, Nick, and Emily taking up the rest of the room, I was forced, once again, to sit in the bed of the truck. But this time, I was much less comfortable. And even though, Derryl flat out yelled at her not too, Angela sat across from me. Erect and fully awake she stared at me. Mind you, it wasn't_ my_ Angela, it was _his_ Angela. Mine was docile, yet quirky. And very fun too be around. His... wanted to eat mine, and me, and Nick, and Emily... there was a definite difference.

Maybe that ride wouldn't have been so creepy if she wasn't staring right at me the entire drive too their house. Maybe it would have been a little less unsettling if she weren't smiling. And maybe there would have been a higher chance of survival on my part, if she didn't keep going on about all the types of blood she liked to drink.

"...Then you've got you fat, happy American." She seemed giddy too inform me on its delights. "So thick and rich! Memories of a good life all drain down my throat like liquid joy! It's much better than finding one of those sad, thin little Goth kids to pick off. Zat horrible feeling of moist loneliness... it's repulsing. Much like the blood of your kind. It's dank really." I didn't know if I should be offended or grateful. "Yet, there's a slight tinge to it, like the after taste of a lemon."

"What about your kind?" I asked, slightly deadened by the conversation.

She seemed a little offended by what I said, but all was fair in a conversation like this.

"It's like licking dirt."

I laughed a little. "Really?" Interest had finally crept up on me after thirty minutes of listening to her go on and on. "You'd think it aged like wine."

"One would think." She said crossing her arms. This whole time I'd been half asleep, and half alert. Ready to change... but not ready to decide which form. It was a real unsettling situation. Why was she bothering me like this? Talking and talking, trying to drown herself out probably. Just so I'd let my guard down and attack me? It seemed likely, but after hearing Derryl yell at her for a good five minutes... I didn't really think she'd betray him like that... but who was I to judge on a character as weird as this?

"So have you ever tasted blood... real blood, I mean, not that crap animal blood?" She said, a knowing smile crept on her lips as she asked. I didn't like her smile at all. It was like trying to talk to a human lie detector. I soon found myself wondering how in the world I could have attracted such company.

"Yes. Why?"

"Did you enjoy it?"

"More than you know."

"Then I guess were not as different as you like to pretend, Michael."

Silence fell upon us as the bright red brake lights lit up behind her. We pulled into a gravel driveway, and slowly came to a halt. Sure I was curious about where a couple like this would live... but I wasn't about to turn my gaze. Sure her company became a little more bearable in the last few minutes of our drenched, cold ride... but it wasn't enough for me to trust her... not her.


	7. Rival

Derryl kept trying to gain my wary attention. His snapping fingers seemed to drag my attention back to the surface as he spoke the same few words over and over again. He kept asking if I was feeling alright. And the simple answer to that was no. Between my sleepless night spent warding off a pack of angry werewolves and the long, overdrawn trip to his rickety, two-story house (in the blistering rain and cold wind), I was far from alright. And top it off with a vampire who was currently two rooms away from my loved ones... high-strung didn't really fit the bill.

"Yeah." I lied flatly. My voice graveled against my tongue as it leapt out into the conversation. "Can you please get _her_ away from my pack?" I asked irritated. I knew things would just end badly if I went in there myself. I really didn't trust my anger towards her threatening posture or close proximity to my friends.

Wordlessly, he sighed and disappeared behind the haggard screen door and before I could wipe away the sleep from my tired eyes, he was back... Alone. "She said, and I quote, _Tell your little mutt friend, that as long as he's around my love, I'll stay around his. Tell him it's insurance._"

I really wanted to rip out my hair thinking of what she'd said. Such a brutally... well, I can't even think of a word that didn't relate to any of the many curse words I knew. She was a scary figure now that I was solely thinking about her. I had no idea how strong she was. Nor did I know how she'd fight me if it ever came down to that. And where as part of me wanted to keep the peace, another wanted nothing more than to wipe that mess-eating grin off of her face.

It really was a little surprising, the rise she brought out of me.

"You two aren't very different, Michael. I'd be wrong not to say you two were almost twins." He said, a small smile etched across his face as I glared at him between my fingers.

"Mr. and Mrs. Jack the Ripper." I mused.

"You really need to get some sleep." He advised, his worry was definitely easily recognized. That V that appeared across his furrowed brow was now more defined than I'd ever seen it.

"I can't."

"Why?"

"Cause _she's _in there!" I yelled, trying to get rid of his questioning. Every single word that came from his mouth seemed to dance along my nerves on ice-skates.

He sighed again as I fidgeted trying to somehow get around my soaking wet pockets to grab my cigarettes. _Maybe I am becoming an addict._ I had no problems smoking my way through half a pack a day. And with every passing day, the addiction seemed to grow. It was more of an oral fixation really.

A soft whimper sounded in the room behind me and my muscles tensed, freezing me in place as I held the flame of my lighter up to my bad habit. I listened for thoughts and found that everyone was asleep at the moment. And a fuming Angela (the bad one) sat in the living room, cursing me, and flipping through static plagued channels. _Frickin' mutt, invading my home... Like to rip his head off!_

I decided it better not to listen any further.

My muscles uncoiled from around my bones as I finally pulled the overheated lighter away from my face. "I need a vacation." I said dryly. My tone was infected with a tired yawn creeping up behind it.

"Ditto." He said.

We leaned back in our chairs and watched the sun peak over the thousands of pine trees that stretched out across the mountainside. It's deep orange glow show beautifully over the contrasting greenery. I now understood why he picked this place, of all places to live. It was comfortable, even with its ragged age, and the scenery was more beautiful than I'd ever seen. Though, in my defense, I hadn't seen much of the world at all.

"So, am I going to be a good Alpha?" I asked out of the blue. I hadn't even been thinking about it as I rested my arms in my cold, wet lap.

"Do you like kids?" He asked. It almost seemed mean that he would think of my friends as mere children. _What a mean thing to say!_ I thought. But seeing the company that he kept... it was easily dismissed. Unless...

"Care too elaborate?" I asked him. My arms were now folded and my gaze had left the beautiful sunrise to look into his wandering eyes. They were like the brown river water that ran through Louisiana, muddy, yet deep and indecipherable.

"Not really. Ruining it would be... wrong."

Unease crept up on me. I couldn't imagine either of the girls pregnant. Especially Emily. A new born, constantly driven by instinct and emotion... _pregnant!_ It'd be hell on earth. I really didn't care too much too have that thrown in my lap. Hell, I'd only realized that I was Alpha a mere twelve hours ago! This was too much. "Please? I really don't need this stress right now!" I asked, once again running my cold hands over my face, trying to stave off sleep.

"Have you talked with Wilson or Derrick since you've been in Canada?" He asked. Just thinking that I was in a whole new country was... just too much. And top it off with two missing family members and you've got one stress filled scenario.

"No. I knew they were here..." I waved my hands in circles. "_Somewhere. _Just not where." Not that I really cared. I knew they could take care of themselves. They weren't children like the three in the room behind me... as Derryl insinuated.

"They aren't going back with you." He said.

"What? _Why?!_" I asked. There was no reason for them to abandon me and the others. Didn't they think about what was now thrust upon me. I'd need all the help I could get.

"Their pack is over." He said, then decided against continuing as he discovered my distaste about the subject. I was an empty shell when I thought of the subject. I'd never been able to really feel the weight of death... many would call it a blessing, yet I saw it as a curse. _How should I feel about my father's death?_ I really wanted to ask someone. It was an absolute mystery. A mystery that left me feeling empty and aching.

"That's no excuse for abandonment."

"They're not abandoning you!" He yelled in their defense. "On the contrary, they're actually doing you a favor."

"They could at least say goodbye!" I yelled back. Just leaving and disappearing into the night... it made me angry. I felt as though I was thinking about my mother. And the way she wasn't ever there for me. I guess you can only hate someone so much before fate finally rips you too shreds. A sour thought, I know. But it was proper.

"And risk creating a bond with you?" The way he said it made me feel like I was a disease. "Don't get me wrong. But they do have their roles too play, even now." He seemed to want to end his conversation as he stood.

_Keep your mind straight. Don't let him see!_ He argued within himself. My interest was piqued, and with it, my anger. _Why couldn't he just spill it already?_ I found myself yelling inside my head. His aggravating sense of informing me to a certain extent was draining my sleepless nerves, and without thinking, I reached stood, reached out, and gripped his arm as he tried to hurry along inside.

"What are you-"

"Stop playing with me, and tell me what's going on!" I yelled.

What sounded like a heard of horses came through the house, and as I thought of what it might be, my body tensed. I'd known all too well how much she loved Derryl. I guess now it was time for me to learn how much she hated me.

She ripped through the screen door with grace and fazed herself between Derryl and me, forcing us apart. "You couldn't just leave well enough alone, could you?" She asked, murder lined her surprisingly clear words.

Her fist broke my hand from his shoulder and she swept my feet out from under me, then in one last sleek move, kicked me in the chest. I skidded across the mud and slammed into a young spruce. It cracked under the impact. Fresh rain fell from its dying limbs.

I stood quickly seeing her charging me once again, Derryl yelling behind her too stop. With barely enough time to change, I had to forsake my body too pain as I braced myself. My hands clashed against hers with great force, pain stung my palms as I struggled mid-change to stop her murderous force.

My hands grew around her, black and furry as my change finalized, and as her anger shifted too fear, I saw my edge.

She had never fought something like me. I could hear her inner dialog and it was frantic.

_This isn't right! Werewolves aren't this big!!!_ She screamed as our arms shook under our gaining pressure. Her arms felt like steel girders, unbreakable and cold. But that did not negate the fact that I was just as strong.

Desperation shown on both of our faces struggled to make the other give way. And neither of us were about to give up. I snarled at her and she hissed at me, her fangs were near inches from my face. The sounds of the vibrating muscles in both of our arms seemed to hum as our footing began to cave in under the pressure we were burdening each other with.

Finally I felt her slip, and I wasted no time as I gripped her head, hiding her face within my palm and swung her around me. I smashed her against the cracked spruce that I'd glided into at the beginning of our little struggle, and then let her fly through the dark forest.

I howled after her before I sped into the dark night. Her corpse-like scent stained the forest like mud on the Mona Lisa. It was a terrible offense to nature for her to be deluding its fine fragrance. Anger and restlessness filled me as I pounded my fists into the ground as I gained momentum. But the darkness of the forest was against me as she dove from its blanket and tackled me head on.

She sent me flying back as if I was stationary during the attack, and as I skidded on my back with her on top of me, she pounded her fists in my stomach, chest and face. Really, anywhere her unguided fists landed. And each blow was like that of a canon blast! My lungs had been raped of air, my heart skipped a beat, my mind was numbing slowly.

I gripped her bloody hands and ripped her off of me as she kicked me once more in the stomach. Fury and anger wanted me to tear her arm off! But as I quickly found out as I held her in the air, away from me... she was practically defenseless. She thrashed in my raised grip to kick me, landing a few unfelt blows, compared to the previous ones, and that was pretty much all I could do.

With my face bleeding and my jaw feeling dislocated, I lurched from the trees. Angela was slowly calming down in my grip. She was a definite danger when grounded, but when she couldn't get any momentum, she was a kitten in the jaws of a bulldog.

Derryl seemed to sigh in relief as I limped over too him with Angela held high. Screaming and cursing.

"I ought to rip out your teeth in your sleep you filthy, flea ridden, rabies driven, pathetic, little runt of a bitch!" She yelled, her voice was like acid. And with every word I stared harder and harder at Derryl, my eyes pleading for him too shut her up.

"ANGELA!" He yelled, quieting her instantly. She seemed to hang there, fuming in my grasp as I hunched over to him, placing her on the ground. She slapped me right across the face before running to Derryl with her arms outstretched. Squeezing the life out of him as she hugged him, I snickered to myself. _He fringing' deserves it_!

I changed back, ignoring the fact that my clothes were back near the edge of the forest in tattered and shredded. And as I passed the room with my now awake pack, I stalked into the back room where all of our luggage was.

"Michael?" Angela asked as I passed. My Angela, not the psycho bitch out front! She watched me pass, and was quick to follow her bloodied mate wherever he ventured... I'm talking in the third person now! Angela really seemed to get under my skin. Damn the musician for keeping someone that unstable around!

"Yeah, love?" I asked as I pulled up a pair of my boxers, while searching for a decent pair of shorts too put on. The cold Canadian air wasn't as bad as it was earlier that night, and the warmth of the house seemed too fog my judgment about what to wear as well.

"You look like hell! Are you okay?" She asked, motioning towards the blood that seeped from fresh wounds on my face and chest.

I couldn't really respond. And as she picked my thoughts from my head, she became instantly furious. "That Bitch!" She yelled.

"Angela!" I yelled after her. Luckily for me, she turned back towards me. "Come here, love." I called her, my arms outstretched.

I was happy to see her comply for once, and as I pulled her into my bloody lap, I laughed a little. A solemn truth had crossed my mind and it was painstakingly clear that I did in fact need it. Angela looked at me worryingly, but I continued to laugh. The pain in my face forgotten, the hurting in my ribs had halted. All I could say to redeem my sanity in her eyes was, "I really need a vacation..."


	8. Eviction

It didn't take me and Angela's constant fighting to get me kicked out of the house indefinitely. When the two of us were within twenty feet of each other, everyone else seemed to hold their breath. As though the second someone made a sound, we'd be digging into each other's throats like animals. I was almost positive that Angela was as sick of it as I was. Her anger was definitely out of control when I was around. I could barely pick out coherent thoughts from her usual cursing and antagonizing. And almost all of them were about Derryl. _Better not touch my love! Mutts better respect their boundaries! How I'd love to dig my teeth into that wolf's neck..._

Everything with her was either a threat or a complaint. We smelled. We were dirty. We smelt like dead animals after we hunted. We always trailed water from the bathroom. We ate too much. We smoked too much. On and on, the list went. And it didn't stop. Day in, day out. Night after night. She bitched, and she moaned. Her every tone was filled to the brim with disgust, and her dagger filled eyes always tormented poor Nick and Emily.

But the real problem came, when the two Angelas' became ill with their hatred for each other. And I don't know what that vampiric tramp was thinking, that would make Angela react as such... but it was definitely the highlight of the tension in the house.

It started with that thought that Derryl's Angela had been thinking. I wasn't even paying attention. Instead I was enjoying a small bowl of cereal. I did however, catch a glimpse of Angela slowly putting down her own spoon, and gently get up and walk around me.

The sound of a shotgun blast behind me made me fall out of my chair onto the floor with shock, my full bowl of cereal followed suit. And when I regrouped and looked up, I saw both girls rolling around the floor. And soon, I found my fear solidify in the form of my mate being thrown clear through the living room wall, and out into the snow.

I reacted on pure instinct. Changing mid dive, and planting my claws deep within her attackers torso and I ripped a good chunk of bloodless meat right out of her sides.

The situation went downhill from there. _As if there was ever an uphill._

The vampire healed quickly after she went out and hunted. It was like nothing ever happened. And as soon as I got Angela far away from the house and changed, her ribs snapped back in place and I helped her run off some steam. Steam that she used to take down a Canadian bear and rip its throat out. She was panting and her mind was a constant stream of violent images as she did so. I was in awe of her anger. I'd never seen her so riled.

And so now, as we re-entered the clearing in front of Derryl's house, we could see Emily and Nick, both crossed armed and angry, standing on the porch next too all of our luggage.

Angela and I stopped in our tracks. We looked to each other and then back to them... "What?" I asked.

"We're heading back home." Nick yelled out too us.

"And I'm never taking a trip with you again!" Emily yelled. Her voice was hoarse and it sounded like she'd been yelling ever since the majority of the house left them to their dismay. I couldn't imagine how Nick and Emily acted when the fight broke out and then within seconds every one dispersed.

Angela held back a laugh that hurt her lungs as she read into my thoughts.

"So... we're leaving... now?" I asked.

"Yes." Derryl said, his face red with anger, as he came outside to hand Nick a few tickets and some directions. "And please, if you ever get the urge to visit. Don't."

And with that he was back in the house, Angela's yelling could be heard from within the ravaged house. And though her voice was muffled by the layers of wall and furniture, the gist of her words were easy too guess. Mutt this, dog that.

"Anyone wanna run back?" I asked joking.

******************************************************************************

_Running was a joke!_ I yelled at the others, wishing they could hear my thoughts like Angela, who was panting as she tried to match my pace. The other two, who _still_ haven't changed yet, were driving. Graciously, Derryl had leant us a battered motorcycle that had been collecting dust in his garage. And it was by the grace of God that it still worked. And under someone like Nick, who's dad, grandpa, and all his uncle's drove motorcycles on the weekends... let's just say he had experience.

The problem with our situation was that we could only saddle the two of our large bags onto both sides of the hog. _I really like motorcycle lingo!_

_We couldn't have called someone?_ Angela asked me, still panting, still running harder than she would like.

_It's not like we have anymore friends in Canada, love._ I replied, slowing down to let her catch up. If she hadn't said anything, I probably would have never noticed. Some Alpha I was turning out to be.

_I meant like a cab or something. _

_Tell me, honestly. Would you have gone back in there?_ I asked her, shuddering under the cold and the memory of Derryl's icy glance. The two had combined into a blizzard of discomfort. Leaving my skin ravaged by both memory and circumstance.

_I guess not._

_What was it that she was thinking of that got you all riled up anyway?_

Flashes of the vampire and I intertwined on the forest floor. Her teeth sinking deeper and deeper in my chest as I sank deeper and deeper into her.

_Oh. _I thought sheepishly.

_Nuff said?_ She asked shoving me a little.

_Nuff said._

Something horrible twisted my stomach into knots as we crossed another empty road and dove into the forest once again. My paws skidded to a halt and I turned around.

_What?! What is it?_ She asked, after stumbling over her feet to stop.

I hackled a little as I tried to figure out what was causing my distress. _Something isn't right._ I said. I sniffed the air; nothing was different from where we first left. I opened my mind up for any and all thoughts that may have somehow gotten into my psyche. Nothing. But that was exactly what had stopped me. Nothing. There was no sound around us but the sounds of nature. Squirrels climbing trees, birds chirping, the sound of a spooked doe running away from us. Everything was natural. No rumbling engine. Which meant that either we had lost them, which was unlikely, or... _They stopped._

_Angela, I want you to check the roads. If anyone passes, just get back in the forest. The minute you catch wind of them, call me._

_No! You take roads!_

_Dammit bae, just listen to me. _I really didn't want to argue with her, but she was being stubborn, and this was definitely not the time.

_I'm not going to run those long ass roads and have you take the shortcut. _She growled at me. This was not a very good start for a new Alpha to have. One belligerent mate and two missing family members.

_I'm not being lazy! I'm worried that if they both changed, that Emily might be... different._

She snorted, and turned her tail towards me before running down the very road we'd just crossed. _God, I wished she wasn't so stubborn._

_You love that about me!_ She yelled. I wasn't sure whether or not she could hear me from there, and her happy tone surprised me as well.

With nothing else left for me here, I turned and ran back the way I'd come at full speed. My legs were iron hard as I tensed them for a quicker pace. Every step was a cavalcade of noise and strength. I was sure I was leaving pot holes in the forest floor.

Every yard I dashed I felt I was getting closer and closer to the unknown. What would she look like? Would she be like me, able to transfer between two wolven forms, or would she be normal? Would she have control, or would she be a force to be reckoned with? I could honestly say I was a little giddy with anticipation.

But when I got there... I was dead wrong about my assumptions.

I found the bike as I went to cross another road. Blood was everywhere. And it trailed into the forest. _Not good._

Around the blood, glinted small red lines. Burgundy threads sparkled under the Canadian sun by the hundreds. It wasn't blood.

I hunched down and tapped it with my paw. Much the same way a cat would a ball of yarn. It was soft a wet, I'd never seen anything like it. I smacked it a little harder and when I did, a horrifying shriek came from the forest that it trailed in to.

My instincts were screaming for me to turn and run... but my family was there... at least that's what I thought.


	9. Demon

The forests edge was thick with brush, lined with the contrasting red string. I dared not to touch it again for fear that I'd disturb the beast, or beasts, that lied within. My heart beat twice as fast as it was when I was running. My veins felt bulged against my muscles as I changed forms. From wolf to hunter only took a second or two of concentration. And after it was all over, I was a towering monster. Though I didn't feel as such. With an unknown shape-shifter lurking in the forest behind the brush... I wasn't too excited about finding out. But one thing pushed me further in than anything else. Nick was in there.

"Emily?" I called. My voice was ever changing in this form, and surprisingly, it sounded like a soft coo. "Emil- _Emily_?" I called, my voice shifting into a gravel all of the sudden.

I pushed past the brush into the surprisingly clear forest. The ground was nothing but dirt. The canopies that hung around the tops of the trees had monopolized the sun like a giant glutton. The forest floor was without any nutrients from it. But that wasn't' what had caught my eye. Millions of red twine had snaked along the ground and were now slithering up trees, underneath bushes, everywhere.

I stood straight up, seeing a feint image of someone in the dark clearing. She was far out there, and my eyes were becoming compromised by the gleaming red threads that were rolling and slithering around. It was disgusting.

I tried to tiptoe around them... but there was barely any room on the ground. The only way to get past them was to slide my clawed feet under them and kick them out of the way. And as I pushed the first couple hundred threads away, I found that I'd made a big mistake.

The figure in the distance turned, her deep red eyes shone brightly in the days darkness. I didn't know what to do. Her eyes had locked me in place.

The millions of little strands that covered the forest seemed to tense as she noticed me. In the distance I could see her raise her hand, and as if they were working on their own at first, were now stock still.

"Michael!" She yelled in excitement. I was relieved to hear her in some control, but as she drew nearer, that relief turned to worry. Those millions of strands... were shooting out from her hair.

"Can you hear them?" She asked. She was completely naked.

_Oh God._ I thought, turning away.

"_Where's..._Where's Nick?" I asked, trying to locate Angela.

"He's out with the others... hunting."

_So he's changed. ANGELA?!_ I called mentally. "Wait... Others?"

She motioned towards the many strands of hair that fell from her head and onto the ground. "They've been helping me keep an eye on him ever since we both changed." She said simply. Her eyes were fogged over with red. She wasn't in control.

"Where is he?" I asked more firmly.

She smiled. And looked up.

Strung up by his arms and legs, was Nick. His shaggy brown fur ruffled as he struggled to break free.

"Emily? You have to stop this." I was stern with what I said. And as she smiled back at me, her tentacles wrapped around my feet.

"Emily?" She asked. "Emily is such a weak name." She seemed to be in thought as they ripped my feet from under me. I tried to catch myself. My arms broke my fall, but it wasn't much of a rebound. "I was thinking... Rebecca. It means bound and gagged." Her laugh wasn't Emily at all.

I reached back and cut through the red rope that intertwined around my legs, and she screamed in pain. Her hands wrenched at her skull.

"Emily, I don't want to hurt you." I said, getting up. My voice hurt when I said it.

"It's Rebecca, and _you _don't know what you want!" Her face was contorted with rage as she massaged her scalp. "Strangle."

The command was simple, and disturbing. In an instant, the millions of threatening threads had jumped from the very ground that they once lay upon. And as they suspended themselves in the air, I felt my breathing stop.

They lounged for me, and I lounged for her.

Wrapping tightly around my chest, I felt my lungs being crushed within me. Whereas I only got close enough to hug her. "_Emily... Stop this..._" My voice was ravaged by her attack. And the threads only tightened. They cut deep into my fur and right through my skin. It was a pain I'd never experienced before. Their saw like edges slipped through my skin and rested on my bone.

I howled in agony as they came to a stop against my rib cage at her command. Which was a snap of her fingers.

She looked down upon me with cold eyes. "You're not going to attack me?" She asked confused. That stare, was the stare of the devil. Hate burned under those red irises as she looked me dead in the face.

"_No._" I managed to whisper without screaming. My body was on fire, ready to rip into her, but I wasn't going to let it. I'd already caused her so much pain in the past... I couldn't bear doing it again. "Never again, Emily." I tried to crack a smile, but my features wouldn't allow it.

The small threads that were once tight across my chest loosened slightly. And the pain it caused made me wish they would have just stayed where they were. My screams made that much apparent.

Yet, she held her stare.

"I could kill you right now... you know that, right?" She asked, raising her hand to snap her fingers.

My claws were salivating the plague to rip into her skin. I wanted to tear the flesh from her bones for doing this to me, to Nick. "I know this, and I'd much rather you did than Nick." My words seemed to be stronger than my body as I felt my control start to slip. _NO!!!_ I yelled inwardly. I retracted my claws and pressed my finger against her sides as I held her tighter. _I'm not going to hurt her!_

She snapped her fingers, and the threads spun around me. My rib cage felt like it was being cut through by thousands of little chain saws. I could feel fragments of bone being ground into dust as they dug further, ever so slowly. I tried latching onto memories of Angela and me, just to calm me down and tune out some of the pain. But the only image that flashed across my mind was that of me and the vampire, feeding on each other.

"EMILY!" I yelled. "LET NICK GO!!!"

She snapped her fingers, and the threads released me completely. I fell slumped to the ground; I hadn't even realized that I'd changed back. My naked body was covered from the waist down in blood, and I was definitely starting to feel the effects.

My eyes wandered as the searing burn from the threads wounds started to engulf me, euphoria nipped at my heels and my vision became dark and splotchy. "Just let him..." I gasped to keep talking, but nothing came out.

All I saw were the red irises of Emily slowly turn blue. Her face became stricken with horror. And her hair sank back in, revealing those beautiful blond strands with the strawberry highlights that I knew. She was no longer Rebecca; she was my friend once again.

"MICHAEL!!!" She screamed.

I heard a pair of growling wolves, and saw Emily look up. I couldn't even speak to help her. I knew it was Nick and Angela growling... but everything was getting darker... and darker.

_No... _I thought to Angela. _No... more... fighting... _


	10. An End to the Pain

"Time

Standing all alone

I bled for you

I wanted to

Each drop my own"

"Slowly they depart

But fall in vain

Like desert rain

And still they fall on and on and on..."

- Trans-Siberian Orchestra

******************************************************************************

Bleeding, tired, and dying, I stared into the sun. Its peering rays shot through the breaks in the canopy above me like an alluring, glowing salvation. Its beautiful arms slam into the ground with unimaginable speed, and yet, its gentle touch was warm and soft. The soft heat, bled beads of sweat from my head and neck... I wasn't sure about the rest of me. I could feel the blood pool around my body, but not my body itself. My arms, legs, torso... everything was dead. Now, all there was left... was for my mind to die.

But it didn't. It kept on thinking, praying for new life to bestow itself upon me, answered only by black nothingness. The many splotches that once hindered my sight were now closing like eyelids over my gaze. _Please... let me see..._

My throat was constantly swallowing the blood that tried to climb out of me, and into the world. I wouldn't allow it. Instead, I continued to swallow each pool that filled my mouth. The rust and salt that numbed my tongue came faster and faster, fuller and fuller. My heart ached.

Black images floated around my sight as I glanced between my slanting eyelids. ..._Michael..._

As the darkness engulfed my eye sight, my hearing became clear, swelling with the sounds of an unknown orchestra. Their strings plucked and drawn, their wind instruments sounded off beautifully along with the strings up start. A crescendo played perfectly as the trumpets began their song harmoniously. Slowly, a string of cellos introduced their presence as one, in a long, low note. Their music pierced my dying heart as I listened.

_... Michael..._

The music was now lifting me; my arms regained their feeling, my legs twitched at the new life. My lungs filled with air, the blood felt as though it was never there. Wounds that once threatened to saw me in half were unfelt and its absence was a blessing. Wind blew in my shaggy hair once again; the scent of the forest overtook me with joy and laughter.

_...Michael... go home._

My happiness was cut short by black, unfelt, emptiness.

******************************************************************************

Something wasn't right about this black that had taken me. It felt as though I were lying down, but as I walked around the soft wet darkness, nothing changed. Still, I felt the soft cool grass of the Canadian forest against my back. The pool of blood was now seeping into my skin... but I wasn't there. I was standing! At least I thought I was.

Trying to figure which was was north in this place... was impossible. There was no scent, no breeze, no light, and no hope. I soon found myself running. _Where am I?_

I felt the warm smack of my bare feet slap against the soft, wet floor as I ran. And still, I felt as though I was lying down, surrounded by coagulating blood. My feet gained momentum, but it went without feeling. My body flew in this prison, but there was no wind caused by my disturbance of the atmosphere. It felt as though the air was following me as I searched for anything to hold onto... But still, nothing. _I'm still alive..._ I thought desperately. _I'm still alive!_ My thoughts were filled with denial. There was no life anymore, not here, not in this purgatory.

My momentum was halted without warning as something yanked me back. I flew backwards, landing on my head, snapping my neck... yet it went without feeling. There was only pressure. No pain, no mind numbing headache followed. It was infuriating.

"What the hell?" I jumped back to my feet and reached behind me. My eyes shot open in the dark as I felt what had been hooked into my skin.

As my hands felt over the warm, sweaty skin on my back, they slid against a rough, rusted metal. _Chains!_ I grasped them like it was the only lifeline I had. My hands split open without pain as the rusted metal scraped away at my panicked palms. Sweat fled my wounds along with the blood, making it harder and harder to break free from the chains. Their heavy loops clinked and groaned as I gave them a little slack. My hands had had enough. _What's going on?!_

I never let go of the chain as I sat down. Instead, I scooted closer to where I'd came from, piling the rusted chains in my lap. My knees slid up close to me, and my arms closed around them. My head fell over the bars I'd made with my arms, and I cried. Fear, panic, sadness, all seemed too fill me at once. There was no one around, and it felt like I'd be here forever.

The chain jerked. The soft, wet pool of blood that was once around my back was being slid out from under me. The corpse of a body I'd left behind was now being dragged away, and with it, I followed.

The chains slack had been wrenched from my lap, and with it, my unwilling body. I screamed and tried to dig my bleeding palms into the black, wet floor. No grip helped me; instead, I seemed to slide rather easily against it. Pleading and begging to just die already, I clawed at the forsaking floor. It's wet, silky surface rippled under me, shoving me further down into the black. Every inch brought more fear. _Where are you taking me?! What's going on?!_

"Stop!" I yelled, my legs fought for control of the ground, but it was too wet, too slippery. And so I rolled over, giving up on trying to break free of the chain. And using the momentum to stand, I grasped into the darkness, and snatched the chain from thin air. I pulled myself up, hard, and it steadily yanked me forward. But as I finally found good footing, I pulled back. Its steady calling became hindered and slow. It wasn't good enough.

That's when I caught my first glimpse of what was pulling the chain. Its glowing blue eyes, light the space around it like a beacon. His shaggy black hair was pulled behind his ears; his teeth were bared as he struggled against the new force I'd added to my own weight. Growling and grasping at the rusted chain as he pulled harder... was me.

My tan skin twisted and stretched as I grabbed more and more of the chain to pull myself closer. The wounds around my chest were gaping and open. My heart was just barely visible from the dripping walls of the open slices. Three large gashes had opened me up to the world, showing deep slices in my ribs and muscles. The cuts stretched open with each handful of the chain I yanked at. My face was a grimace of unimaginable pain. My teeth grinded against themselves as I pulled harder. "You are _NOT_ going to let us die, Michael!" I heard him yell.

My legs were no longer fighting; instead, I walked forward, propelled by pity. _What are you?_ The thought grazed my mind like a dull knife. It hurt for me to wonder. Seeing as how it has always been there too help me. And now, when it fought for both our lives, I struggled against it.

He stopped pulling, and collapsed to his knees. A horrible gargling scream of pain escaped his lips as he gripped his open sides. "It hurts so much!" He yelled, his face was hidden under his hair. Our hair.

Small mounds of gathered chain were culminated into many little piles around him. Blood dripped from the many rusted loops and pooled around the floor, Co-mingling with the small flex of red dust from the chains. They seeped out and around the mounds, contaminated and coagulating.

I found myself running too his side. "You have to lie down." I said, placing my hand on his back. His hair slid from his face, revealing an innocent, wondering gaze. His mouth gapped open as he held back another scream. "It' hurts too much."

"Nonsense." I said, as I lowered him to the cold floor. "The cold will make it better." His back touched the ground and he shivered.

He laughed a little between a few short gasps. "Ever think you'd be talking directly to your instincts?" He said, a weak smile drifted across his face, but it was only for a second. Afterwards his mouth clung shut to overpower another scream.

"I'm sorry." I cried. My eyes were now filled with tears as well. For the few moments we'd actually known each other, I couldn't help but _not_ see him as myself. He was just another life that I'd endangered. Another tragedy to be ripped from me in my final hour.

"No. Don't apologize." He said kindly, un-tightening his lips. He uncurled his hands around his chest. Blood dripped like rain from his arms as he raised them up too look. "That's too much blood."

I fell back to sit as he chuckled at the sight he had raised above his head. "Yeah..." I whispered. "So what do we do now?" I asked. "Just wait to die?"

He sighed. "Sounds about right. But at least," He looked into my eyes and reached out for my hand, "We're not alone."

I grabbed his bloody hand and held it with both of mine. "Thanks."

"No prob. I just wish it didn't hurt so bad too die. Hell, dad didn't feel a thing."

I gasped back another wave of sorrow. "Oh don't be like that!" He pleaded. "You can dance around it all you want, he's dead. Just like us. And just like us, he deserves his peace and quiet." He was angry, I knew he was angry. But at what? Dying, to him, seemed like a vacation. A permanent one.

"He was murdered." I said flatly.

"Don't even start fighting with me. Can we just get back too dying already?" He said, a playful laugh escaped his lungs. As he gasped in a few more breaths of fresh air, I couldn't help but forgive him. At the time, it felt like the both of us needed some forgiving. I was glad to give him mine. But I... There was so much that I'd done. Letting my mother and my father die. Attacking Emily. Keeping Angela from her mother. Allowing Nick and Emily to forsake their normal lives for one such as mine... the guilt kept piling up.

And as I wallowed, and he prepared his final breath for the both of us, a hard _crack_ broke the silence around us. Light gushed in with monstrous force, allowing us to see ourselves more clearly. His body was more broken and bruised than I'd originally thought. And between the blood we both lost... it was safe to assume there'd be some repercussions'.

A cool, mid-day breeze blew through the cracks and flew into us. At once we both gasped in the cool air. It felt as though it was sustaining us. "Oh, that's a nice feeling." I said. Gazing out of our black box, and out to the forest that was slowly breaking away at our prison. Many more cracks and crashes bounded against our purgatory. And as it did, a strange feeling of reprieve came over me. I felt light, like I'd become one with the air. And as I pulled my hand up too my face, I quickly found out why.

My fingers dissolved in the light... "So this is death." I mused.

"Nope. It looks like we've got to try a little harder for that." He said, an honest smile strung itself over his face. "I guess it's not our time..."

My palm had vanished into mist as he laughed again. Further and further, the mist ate away at my arms, and gathered at my torso. And once I was gone... I was awake.


	11. Short Appointment

"You..." I began, peering at my surroundings.

I lay on a bloody gurney, wrapped up in hospital gauze. Hospital certified operation equipment had been stacked inharmoniously at my side. Hospital operation utensils lay on an extendable tray attached to my makeshift operating table.

"Brought me..."

The dim light of an Operation light half blinded me as it was turned off. The dark splotch of forgotten light still lingered in my stare as I looked around for my... ignorant family. Their figures were hard to see with the slowly fading splotch, but with every tired blink it seemed too revive itself, becoming more and more like a Rorschach test. Though, even with all its hindering existence, I could definitely tell who was who.

"To a _hospital?_" I put as much emphasis on the last word as I possibly could.

Nick smiled weakly through my inky, black partial blindness. He knew I wasn't happy. Angela was constantly fidgeting for a good excuse as too why they'd risked our entire race too one life, such as mine. She wanted to tell me it was because they loved me, but... that wasn't going to stop the wrath of Marcus if he ever found out. And I was almost positive that everyone in there knew that... except one.

"Tell me there isn't a doctor in here." I prayed aloud. My anger was subdued immediately by the doctor's voice. He was your average, middle-aged, respectable doctor. And once my partial blindness had subsided, I was shocked to see through his wrinkled exterior, that he was threatened.

"Y-yes, sir." He said. His full, white hair was a mess, as if he'd been running his hands through it in frustration for the past few moments before I'd awakened. That crooked nose of his was pulled up along with his heavy, brown brow. The man was under duress.

"Angela!" I yelled. She snapped in place, and almost jumped off the wall.

"What?" She asked, half complaining. "We had to make sure you were alright."

"Apologize to this man for threatening him." My words were made out to be bullets, but they were more like rolled up paper balls. The strain in my unused voice was definitely the culprit in that. But, as I saw it work in my favor, she did apologize. Without arguing, I might add.

I pushed myself up, and felt the upper half of my body shift slightly. Almost being sawed in half can do that to someone. I was no different. But, with all the drugs that were now pumping through my veins, it felt more like ants had been crawling around my wounds. The entire room seemed to jump forward at my movement, but a quick angry glance at all of them stopped their begging hands. I knew they wanted to help me back down, but we really were in no position to overstay our welcome... if you could even call it that.

I swung my feet over the side of the bed, grunting in discomfort, and hopped off.

"Miraculous..." The doctor said, his hands shook as he tried to slick his dry hair back. But to no avail, as his hair just jumped back in front of his face. He had a defined face. Ever look at an old picture of your mom or dad, and think, they don't make faces like that anymore, as if it were a generational thing... that's the anomaly this man reminded me of. His thick cheeks, slight wrinkles except for his brow, and a perfectly clean shaven neck. It wasn't something I've come across before. At least, that I remember.

The doctor stared at me for a short while, trying to make himself believe that someone who'd come in almost in two pieces, could be standing after only thirty minutes of trying to stabilization. And seeing it rude, on a moral level, to intrude upon this man any further, I cut the ties between our minds. But to be honest, being thought of as a miracle was definitely flattering.

"Doc." I said, pulling my hospital garb closed behind me. It was a horrible garment, probably the worse I'd ever had to wear. It's bright green color, would definitely be a beacon to our kind if any were to see us escape. And realizing this, I asked Angela to find me my clothes mentally.

When she left without a word, and stopped at the opened doorway with a turn and grateful smile towards the doctor, I felt a slow warmth overcome the room.

"Doc?" I asked, snapping him out of whatever he was thinking.

Nick and Emily had taken a seat at the edge of the motel-like operating room. They must've dragged the chairs in during the takeover. I should have realized it first. It's waiting room grey lining with a reassuring, auburn fabric filling, definitely did not suit the dark blue operating room. Nor the many, many heart rate machines, stand by catheters, or any of the other instruments I could only guess at. They were all stacked against the right side of my bed. Some were letting out soft constant rings, others were happily quiet.

"Yes, sir?" He said. My frustration that someone like him, who'd save many more lives than I, would be scared so much as to call _me_ sir, was definitely showing on my face.

"Please, sir, don't call me sir. _You _saved my life, and my family only threatened you." Nick looked down, but Emily kept her fear stricken face planted firmly over her features. I knew that convincing her that this wasn't her fault would be hard... but that would have to wait. "I owe you my life, sir. But right now, you are in terrible danger."

His face flickered a small flame of fear as I continued to tell him of the dangers of me being here, careful not to let anything about any of our origins slip. And when I was done, he was quick to tell me where he'd sent blood that he'd taken for diagnostic purposes. He said it was to make sure I wasn't allergic to anything, and I believed him. I didn't even have to prod at his mind. He deserved better than that.

And after I sent Nick, I grabbed up the reluctant Emily, and we made our silent escape. I thanked the good doctor one final time, apologized once more before we both disappeared from the two story window, into the dark Canadian night.

_God speed, my interesting acquaintance. _


End file.
